Conventionally, as a sample processing apparatus for processing samples, a multiple blood cell analyzing apparatus, a blood coagulation measuring apparatus, an immune assay analyzing apparatus, a biochemical analyzing apparatus, a urine analyzing apparatus, and a blood cell smear slide preparing apparatus have been known. Most sample processing apparatuses are configured to be provided with a transport section for transporting a sample rack holding plural sample containers, aspirates the samples from the sample containers held by the sample rack transported by the transport section, and processes the samples.
Japanese Patent Publication No. H5-072212 discloses an automatic analyzing apparatus which includes a reaction disk in which plural reaction containers are provided on a concentric circumference, and a reagent disk in which plural reagent bottles containing various reagents are provided on a concentric circle.
In the automatic analyzing apparatus, a sample dispensing probe, a reagent dispensing probe, a stirring apparatus, a cleaning apparatus, a light source, and a multi-wave-length photometer are disposed on the peripheral of the reaction disk and the reagent disk. In addition, a rack transport apparatus is provided on a rotation circumference of the sample dispensing probe and along a tangential direction of the reaction disk, and a rack number reading apparatus and a sample ID reading apparatus are disposed along a transport line of the rack transport apparatus.
The sample rack holding the sample container containing sample is transported on the transport line by the rack transport apparatus. During transport, the rack number of the sample rack is read by the rack number reading apparatus. Next, the ID number of the sample container held by the sample rack is read. Thereafter, the sample rack is transported by the rack transport apparatus until the sample container held by the sample rack reaches the position under the sample dispensing probe, and a predetermined amount of the sample in the sample container is dispensed into a reaction container by the sample dispensing probe. When the dispensing from one sample container is completed, the sample rack is transported by the rack transport apparatus such that the next sample container reaches the position under the sample dispensing probe, and the dispensing of the sample is carried out by the sample dispensing probe.
However, in the automatic analyzing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. H5-072212, it is difficult to process the samples efficiently.